


Matt's Sleeping Secret

by The_Doctors_Song



Category: Doctor Who RPF, Mattex - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-25
Updated: 2012-06-25
Packaged: 2017-11-08 12:57:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/443430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Doctors_Song/pseuds/The_Doctors_Song
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matt has a secret. A secret he had no intention of letting Alex find out. If it weren't for Karen and Arthur... She never would have.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Matt's Sleeping Secret

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't heard Coventry Carol, sung by Alex herself, one: You're missing out, and two: ... There is no two... Go listen to it!

**Matt's Sleeping Secret**

 

Matt had a secret. A secret he'd never tell anyone for fear of embarrassment. Not that what he did was all that embarrassing. No. Not at all.

 

He'd just get teased a hell of a lot for it.

 

It'd been happening for over eight months now. During those few nights when filming was drawing every bit of his energy, was making him so exhausted he couldn't even sleep.

 

He'd spent the first few days scouring the Internet. Just looking at random things with no idea what he was actually looking for. YouTube was his main source of entertainment. Yes. He'd admit it. YouTube made up quite a bit of his life. He just felt it brought him closer to many of his fans.

 

It didn't take long before he was YouTubing random things to do with his friends.

 

He'd found the parody Karen did of I Kissed a Girl. Needless to say, she'd received white a bit of teasing from him about that.

 

Most of what he found on Arthur had to do with Doctor Who.

 

Then he'd found Alex. Quite a lot of Alex actually. Alex screwing up lines... She really was as bad a giggler then as she is now... Alex on interviews... She really needs a filter... Alex naked... Alex naked... Alex naked...

 

But what he found... What made his biggest secret... Was her singing.

 

He'd stumbled across Coventry Carol by accident. Pure and simple accident.

 

He listened to her, her voice a d the way she sang... And before he knew it he was waking to sunlight streaming through the window.

 

The next night he couldn't sleep again. Not until he played Alex on his laptop next to his bed.

 

During his break the next day, Matt downloaded the song on to his iPod.

 

Every night since then, he's had her on repeat, singing in to his ear and lulling him to sleep.

 

She's the only thing... Person... Who can get him at least a few hours of rest.

 

He kept it to himself. For the first few months he was rather embarrassed about it. Now, he doesn't really care.

 

Which is a good thing he supposed. Road trips on the Who Tour bus were generally a great time. As usual, he'd lie down in his cubby bed, his headphones on and Coventry Carol playing before everyone else had even climbed in to their own beds.

 

He was asleep in minutes.

 

When he woke the next day, it was to his headphones being pulled from his ear and Karen screeching instead.

 

"Oi! Wake Up Smith!"

 

He flinched, screwing his eyes shut and groaning.

 

"Shove off Kaz! It's morning."

 

She rolled her eyes at him, looking down curiously at the music she could hear softly playing in her hands.

 

"What're you listening to?"

 

Before he could answer, she had the headphone up to her ear in time for Alex to begin singing again.

 

"Wait! Kaz!"

 

He scrambled up, hitting his head on the cubby above him in the process.

 

"Isn't this... Ain't that..."

 

He rubbed his head as he looked up at her, her eyes wide and mouth agape.

 

"Why are you listening to Alex singing before you sleep?"

 

He stuttered a little, trying to come up with a reason not nearly as embarrassing.

 

"I... I wasn't. My iPod's on... Shuffle! Any random song comes on, you know that Kaz."

 

She frowned, yanking his iPod from the top corner of the bed and lighting up the screen.

 

As the song ended, it begun to replay, once again Alex's smooth voice coming through the headphones.

 

"It's on replay stupid face! What's the real reason?"

 

He looked from the iPod to the Kaz, licking his lips and scratching the side of his face as he tried to think of another reason.

 

"Ugh... Hey look! We're here! Just on time too. Would you look at that view!"

 

He stood quickly, snatching his iPod from Kaz's hands before rushing to the other side of the bus.

 

Every time Karen caught his eye, or they spoke in passing, he'd ignore the curious, amused look on her face. Whenever she steered the conversation towards his choice of music, he'd conveniently remember something he forgot, an leave her sitting (or standing) there with a smirk on her face.

 

He thought she'd forgotten about it by the time the tour was over.

 

He was wrong.

 

They were all sitting around in his living room, drinking and laughing at the events of that day. Alex leaning against his knees, his back against the couch, Arthur stretched across the opposite couch and Karen lying on her back on the ground, staring at the ceiling as she swirled her glass of red wine.

 

"I'm boreeed!"

 

Ale smirked at the slur in Karen words, hiding her smile behind her own glass. Arthur rolled his eyes and Matt scoffed.

 

"Well... What are we supposed to do 'bout it?"

 

Karen sniffed, rolling her head from side to side.

 

"I dunno... Alex!"

 

She shouted Alex's name, Rollin over on to her stomach to state at the startled woman watching her.

 

"Karen!" Alex mimicked, taking another sip of her wine.

 

"Sing us a song!"

 

Alex frowned, pursing her lips with a half smile.

 

"Sing you a song? Why?"

 

Karen shrugged, spilling a few drops of her drink, ignoring Matt's strangled yelp.

 

"Because... Matt seems to like your voice. I wanna hear it in person!"

 

Matt's eyes widened and he shifted slightly. Alex frowned, glancing over her shoulder at Matt before staring back at Karen.

 

"What are you talking about?"

 

Arthur scoffed, staring at the wall opposite him.

 

"Surprised moon face didn't tell you before... Matty-boy spent the whole tour last week listening to you singing on his iPod before he went to sleep."

 

Alex turned to Matt, raising her eyebrow at him with a small smile.

 

"You listened... To me... Singing?"

 

He shrugged, moving his legs from behind her slowly so she didn't fall back. Standing, he picked up the now empty bottle.

 

"Got a nice voice Kingston."

 

He left the room, carrying the bottle out with him, ignoring the stares of his three friends.

 

Why did Karen have to say that? Of all things... Why that?

 

Yeah... She was drunk. But still.

 

He dropped the empty bottle in the bin, turning around to grab another.

 

Alex was standing in the doorway.

 

He froze for a second... Less than one really.

 

He smiled at her awkwardly, moving to grab the other bottle on the counter. She walked toward him, standing next to him as he un-corked the top. Bumping her shoulder against his, he turned to see her smile at him.

 

"Want to tell me what the real reason is?"

 

He shrugged yet again, pulling the cork off with a loud POP.

 

"Is the real reason."

 

She shook her head slightly, turning her back to lean on the counter.

 

"Matt..."

 

"It is!" He said, dropping the cork on the counter to step back.

 

"Matt." She said softly.

 

He sighed, shaking his head.

 

"I couldn't sleep."

 

He turned, watching her as she frowned. Licking his lips, he continued.

 

"For a couple weeks the show was really... Getting to me. Filming for it, reading for it, promoting it... I was exhausted to the point where I couldn't sleep properly. I spent nights roaming the net, waiting until my eyes fell. I found Coventry... It's the only thing that'll get me to sleep. Your voice..."

 

He looked up, blushing slightly at the admittance.

 

"Oh, Matt."

 

She walked forward, wrapping her arms around him.

 

"Why didn't you say anything about your work load?"

 

He smiled at her crookedly.

 

"Because... I... I dunno."

 

She smiled, tugging his hand with her as she walked backwards

 

"Come on. We'll finish the bottle with Karen and Arthur, then we'll talk when they've gone okay? It'll help to talk about it, trust me, I know."

 

He nodded, gripping the neck of the bottle as Alex dragged him back in to the living room.

 

Karen smiled at him apologetically, Arthur simply raised his eyebrow at them.

 

The bottle was finished in less than an hour, not exactly a new accomplishment for them. Arthur helped Karen through the door and down the stair, heading back to their own apartments. Shutting the door after them, Matt turned to see Alex lounging on his couch, her feet tucked under her.

 

"Okay. Talk."

 

He rolled his eyes at her, sitting on the opposite side of the couch.

 

"It wasn't really all that bad. At first. The. The hours got long. I'd stay back to re-run some solo scenes and go through costumes, talk with Steven on ideas and takes on the Doctor. I didn't even leave the actual set until midnight. Then I'd have to be up at four anyway."

 

She shook his head at him, sighing.

 

"Why didn't you tell Steven?"

 

He shrugged, ducking his head to scratch the back of his neck.

 

"Not sure. I was relatively new to to the show. Didn't want to make a fuss."

 

She shook her head again, moving forward to grip his hands in her own.

 

"You should have told him. Or Karen. Me."

 

They stayed quiet for a while, they hands still intertwined.

 

"So... You like my voice?"

 

He smiled, looking back at her.

 

"What's not to like Kingston?"

 

She shook her head with a grin, leaning back and letting go of his hands.

 

"Did it help?"

 

"Your voice?"

 

She nodded, gripping the cuffs of her sleeves.

 

"Yeah. Yeah it did. For a couple of weeks, months. Then I just listened because it was a routine."

 

"So... You still can't sleep?"

 

He shook his head, shrugging his shoulders for what had to have been the fifth, maybe sixth time that night.

 

Alex stood, taking his hand once again and pulling him to his feet.

 

"Come on. To bed with you."

 

He grinned at her suggestively, stepping closer to her until their chests were pressed against each other. Walking her backwards, his grin turned in to a smirk.

 

"Trying to get me in to bed Kingston. Now, this is a dream I thought would never happen."

 

She pursed her lips at him, cocking her eyebrow with a smirk on her face.

 

"Dreaming of me Mr Smith?"

 

He winked at her, grinning as her knees hit the bed, sending them down with her trapped beneath him.

 

"Every night."

 

She shook her head with a smile, crawling backwards and paying the bed beside her.

 

"Lie down you terrible flirt."

 

He crawled towards her, pulling the unmade bed covers up over them without asking if she was staying. She pushed him down, resting his head on her chest and beginning to hum. She ran her fingers through his hair, her humming gaining lyrics as his eyes fell shut.

 

The last thing he remembered was the sound of Alex's voice, the feeling of her fingers brushing through his hair, and the rising of her chest as she breathed.

 

That night, and every night after that, was the best sleep he'd had in a long while.


End file.
